A Little Ray of Sunshine - by Kristan Higgins (Paperback)

About the Book

"Harlow Smith thought she had finally achieved the quiet life she wanted--a little bookstore on Cape Cod, an apartment in her grandpa's house, a more or less happily single life--when the biggest secret from her past walked into town and changed everything. A kid walks into your bookstore and says to you, Guess what? I'm your son. The one you put up for adoption seventeen years ago. The one you never told anyone about. Surprise! His name is Matthew Walker, and he's come to spend the summer on the Cape with his parents. Why? Well, he wants to meet you before he heads off to college in the fall. Tiny detail--he didn't tell his adoptive parents about his plan. And while you hoped this day would come someday, you're so stunned, you actually faint. You're overjoyed (and stunned) and worried (and stunned) and you've yearned to meet him, but you didn't know it would be like this. Did you mention feeling stunned? Even more gobsmacked is your family. The Smiths looked like (and thought they were) the perfect family in town. How could Harlow, the "boring sister" who runs the bookstore with her dotty old grandfather, have a secret baby? How did she keep this secret for so long? More than the truth of that baby will come out over the summer ahead, a summer filled with emotion as more than one secret is revealed, long-lost hurts are discovered... and one slightly lost soul realizes the best of everything is yet to come."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A kid walks into your bookstore and... Guess what? He's your son. The one you put up for adoption eighteen years ago. The one you never told anyone about. Surprise!

And a huge surprise it is.

It's a huge surprise to his adoptive mother, Monica, who thought she had a close relationship with Matthew, her nearly adult son. But apparently, he felt the need to secretly arrange a vacation to Cape Cod for the summer so he could meet his birth mother...without a word to either her or his dad.

It's also a surprise-- to say the least--to Harlow, the woman who secretly placed her baby for adoption so many years ago. She's spent the years since then building a quiet life. She runs a bookstore with her grandfather, hangs out with her four younger siblings and is more or less happily single, though she can't help gravitating toward Grady Byrne, her old friend from high school. He's moved back to town, four-year-old daughter in tow, no wife in the picture. But she's always figured her life had to be child-free, so that complicates things.

When Matthew walks into Harlow's store, she faints. Monica panics. And all their assumptions--about what being a parent really means--explode. This summer will be full of more surprises as both their families are redefined...and as both women learn that for them, there's no limit to a mother's love.

Review Quotes

Praise for A Little Ray of Sunshine

"A raw and genuine look at motherhood, A Little Ray of Sunshine is a lovely ode to love in all of its many forms, family lost and found."
--Ashley Poston, New York Times best-selling author of The Dead Romantics

"An uplifting story of love and gratitude--not to mention frustration, fear, and failure--in all forms of family."
--Kirkus Reviews

Higgins returns with her signature writing style that will make readers laugh, possibly cry, and think deeply about the role of family and motherhood... [This] is a perfectly done novel. Higgins tackles what it means to be part of a family and how family can look very different from person to person. Her signature humor sprinkled into a heavy topic makes this a must-read."
--Library Journal

"Higgins returns to Cape Cod in this multigenerational story about the enduring bonds of family...Higgins deftly navigates her characters' complex emotions, including both Harlow and Monica's points of viewthroughout the book. The women's inner lives are presented authentically, allowing the reader to understand the mixed feelings of joy, fear, love, and guilt that both women experience. Side stories and romantic subplots add depth and humor, but the emotional journey is the star of this comforting-as-a-cozy-sweater story. Hand this one to fans of Susan Wiggs and Jennifer Weiner."
--Booklist

"This genuine and uplifting novel follows 18-year-old Matthew, who decides to arrange a summer trip to Cape Cod to meet his birth mother, Harlow--without telling his adoptive mother, Monica. When Matthew walks into Harlow's bookstore, she gets the shock of a lifetime, and Monica pancis. Soon, even more twists unfold and the women discover that there's no limit to a mother's love."
--Woman's World

"'I was drawn to this book by its breezy, pretty cover, but the story about love and what it means to be a family is what kept me engaged, ' says Patty Bontekoe, FIRST Executive Editor. Unbeknownst to her family, Monica had a baby when she was 18 and put him up for adoption. So 18 years later, when he walks into the family bookstore she runs, her entire life (and that of his adoptive mother) is turned upside down. 'I loved this emotional story, which had me laughing, crying and feeling for both moms, ' says Patty. 'I really didn't want it to end!'"
--FIRST for Women

Praise for Out of the Clear Blue Sky

"The perfect beach read."
--#1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner

"Your big summer read has arrived! Book after book, Kristan Higgins is a can't-miss author who always serves up stories that are fresh, relevant, and deeply involving."
--#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs

"A fantastic journey with a brave, delightful, and mischievous heroine who will keep you laughing and rooting for her from page one. I did not want this book to end!"
--Jane L. Rosen, author of Eliza Starts a Rumor

About the Author

Kristan Higgins is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than twenty novels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. The happy mother of two snarky and well-adjusted adults lives in Connecticut with her heroic firefighter husband, cuddly dog, and indifferent cat.